Alpha Xander's Undoing Chasing my Unknown Mate Back novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Chapter 54

*Rory*

40

55 vouchers

I woke up slowly, like surfacing from the depths of a dream I didn’t want to end. Warmth cocooned me, a different kind of warmth than the fevered heat that had burned under my skin these past few days. This wasn’t fire or chaos or the violent pull of something I couldn’t control. This was him. Xander.

The sheets smelled like him too-cedar, smoke, the faintest trace of rain-soaked earth-and for a moment, I just lay there, my cheek pressed against his chest, eyes closed, listening to the steady drum of his heartbeat under my ear. It anchored me, kept me from drifting too far from reality, from the storm of memories that had plagued me for so long.

Last night… last night had been everything and nothing I expected. The bond between us was no longer a fragile thread stretched too thin by fear and secrets. It was a wildfire, burning hot and consuming, knitting us together in ways I couldn’t begin to explain. I felt him now-not just his heartbeat or his breath but deeper, like his emotions were woven into mine. A pulse of calm. A flicker of unease. A warmth that made my chest ache with how fiercely he felt for me.

And yet, even basking in that feeling, a sliver of fear still lingered, sharp and cold. Because how long could this last before the world tore it apart? How long before “Chaos” came crashing down on us again?

I stirred slightly, my fingers tracing the faint ridges of muscle on his stomach where the blanket had slipped low. His arm tightened around me instantly, a quiet, protective reflex. He was awake-I knew it before his chest rumbled with a low, sleepy murmur.

“Morning, moonlight,” he said, voice still rough from sleep.

I tilted my head to look at him. His dark hair was messy, his eyes heavy-lidded but sharp as always, watching me like he couldn’t quite believe I was there. I swallowed hard, my throat thick.

“Morning,” I whispered.

1

For a moment, we just stared at each other, breathing the same air, caught in the kind of silence that felt fragile, like it might shatter if we said the wrong thing. Last night had changed everything-but it had also left me exposed, raw, with a thousand words I didn’t know how to say.

Finally, I shifted slightly, pulling the sheet tighter around me, suddenly shy under his gaze. “So… we’re really mated now,”

His lips twitched, just barely. “We always were. Last night just made it official.” His hand came up, fingers brushing my cheek with a tenderness that made my heart clench. “And I’m not letting you go. Ever.”

I bit my lip, my chest tight, my thoughts tumbling too fast. “And what happens now? When people find out? When they remember what they call me?”

His hand stilled on my face, his eyes darkening, the bond between us pulsing with his anger-not at me, never at me, but at the way the world saw me. “They can call you whatever the hell they want,” he said, low and fierce. “But they don’t get to define you. Not anymore. Not while I’m breathing.”

The sincerity in his voice burned hotter than anything I’d ever felt, and for a second, I almost believed it.

13:09 Wed, Sep 17

Chapter 54

40

55 vouchers

Almost believed that the weight of “Chaos” wouldn’t crush me. But then memories crept in the way my father had drugged me since the day I got my wolf, the way Eden had cried in secret, scribbling warnings in a journal no one was supposed to find. The whispers about my mother’s death, a tragedy no one explained.

Had they known? Had they seen this coming? Was I really destined to burn everything I touched?

I shifted away slightly, hugging the sheet to my chest as if I could hide from those questions. “Sometimes I think… maybe they were right to fear me. My father. The Venatorum. Even you.”

He flinched like I’d struck him, sitting up, his hand closing over mine before I could pull away. “Don’t,” he rasped. “Don’t you ever put me in the same breath as them. I was afraid, yes-but not of you. I was afraid of failing you. Afraid of losing you before I ever had a chance to be what you deserve.”

I looked at him then, really looked, and for once there were no walls between us. Just the raw truth burning in his eyes, tangled with regret and something deeper, something I hadn’t been ready to see until now.

Trust.

It wasn’t easy. Goddess, it was the hardest thing I’d ever done. But I found myself nodding, a shaky breath leaving my lips. “Okay,” I said softly. “I trust you.”

The bond between us thrummed like a living thing, warm and fierce and undeniable. He leaned forward, pressing his forehead to mine, whispering words that felt like promises. “We’ll figure this out, Rory. No running. No hiding. Just us.”

And for the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself believe it.

*Xander*

Hours later, when Rory finally drifted back to sleep curled up against me, I sat there, wide awake, staring at the ceiling of my dorm room and feeling the weight of the world settling on my shoulders. The bond was different now. Stronger. Unbreakable. Every breath she took echoed in me. Every flicker of emotion pulsed along the thread between us. We were bound in ways no ceremony or council decree could ever undo.

And yet, the world outside these walls still wanted her dead.

The memory of the meeting with my father came back sharp and clear. The council chamber had been cold, full of the stench of politics and lies. Durnham, the Vice Headmaster, had sat in the corner, smug and silent, while whispers of the “Chaos wolf” rippled through the room like venom.

“She’s dangerous,” someone had said. “She needs to be dealt with before the Venatorum arrive.”

My father had intervened. Calculated, Cold. He’d offered them a false trail, sent hunters chasing a phantom chaos wolf in another region. And Rory’s father-silent, unreadable-had backed him, using whatever strings he had left to shield his own daughter, even if he couldn’t bear to look at her anymore.

It bought us time. That’s all it was. Borrowed, fragile time.

And beneath it all, I’d felt Durnham’s eyes on me, on the empty seat where Rory should have been. A predator biding his time. He wasn’t like the Venatorum, wild and blunt with their hatred. No, he was worse. Quiet. Patient. The kind of man who didn’t just kill threats. He dissected them.

13:09 Wed, Sep 17

Chapter 54

And I would burn this academy to the ground before I let him touch her.

40

E55 vouchers

I ran a hand through my hair, forcing my breathing to even out, turning my head to look at her. She was so still in sleep, her face soft, lips parted slightly, a strand of hair across her cheek. My coat was still wrapped around her shoulders, the faint glow of our mark hidden beneath the fabric.

My mark.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify